What Is a Lungo? Your Complete Guide

April 4, 2026

What Is a Lungo? Your Complete Guide

If you’ve ever scanned a café menu and wondered what a lungo actually is — you’re not alone. It sits somewhere between an espresso and an americano, and it has its own distinct character that’s worth knowing about. Here’s everything you need to know.

What Does "Lungo" Mean in Italian?

Lungo is the Italian word for “long.” In the context of coffee, it refers to a longer espresso shot — one made with more water than a standard espresso, extracted through the same amount of ground coffee. Simple in theory, surprisingly nuanced in practice.

How Is a Lungo Different from an Espresso?

A standard espresso uses around 30ml of water to extract a single shot. A lungo uses roughly 50–110ml, depending on who’s making it. The result is a larger volume of coffee — but it’s not just diluted espresso.

Because the water is pushed through the grounds for longer, a lungo extracts different compounds from the coffee. You get more bitter and less sweet notes compared to a traditional espresso, with a thinner body and a longer, more lingering finish.

Espresso: ~30ml, rich, concentrated, syrupy
Lungo: ~50–110ml, longer extraction, more bitter, thinner body

How Is a Lungo Different from an Americano?

This is where people often get confused. Both drinks are larger than an espresso, but they’re made differently.

An americano is made by pulling a regular espresso shot and then adding hot water to the cup afterward. A lungo is made by running more water through the grounds during the extraction process itself. The result? An americano keeps the flavour profile of a standard espresso. A lungo has a distinctly more bitter flavour because of the extended extraction.

The Water Ratio

A lungo typically uses about double the water of an espresso, though there’s no single agreed standard:

Espresso: 1:2 ratio (e.g., 18g coffee to 36ml water)
Lungo: 1:3 to 1:5 ratio (e.g., 18g coffee to 54–90ml water)

The extended contact time means the shot takes longer to pull — typically 45–60 seconds versus the standard 25–30 seconds for an espresso.

What Does a Lungo Taste Like?

A lungo has a more diluted, bitter flavour profile than an espresso. The sweetness and crema that characterise a well-pulled espresso are less prominent, and you’re more likely to notice woody, nutty, or slightly astringent notes. That said, the right beans make a significant difference — a well-chosen dark roast or espresso blend can produce a lungo with genuine depth and complexity.

When Should You Drink a Lungo?

A lungo is a great choice when you want more volume than an espresso but don’t want to add milk, prefer a slightly more restrained intensity, or enjoy the ritual of sipping slowly without sugar. It’s not a milk coffee, and it’s not a filter — it occupies its own space.

How to Make a Lungo at Home

To make a lungo at home, you’ll need an espresso machine:

Grind your coffee — same setting as espresso, or slightly coarser
Dose and tamp — 18g is a good starting point
Set your yield — aim for 60–80ml in the cup
Pull the shot — let it run 45–60 seconds
Taste and adjust — too bitter? Try a slightly coarser grind

What Coffee Beans Work Best for a Lungo?

Dark roasts and espresso blends tend to work particularly well — they have the body and flavour intensity to hold up across a longer extraction without turning harsh. For most home brewers, a quality espresso blend or dark roast is the most forgiving and rewarding choice.

Shop myroast Beans for Lungo

At myroast, we roast fresh to order — which means you’re working with coffee at its peak, not beans that have been sitting in a warehouse. Our espresso and dark roast range is built for this kind of brewing: rich, developed, and designed to hold up beautifully across longer extractions.

Shop myroast espresso and dark roast beans →